Visual Analysis

I​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​n describing the difference in effect, in expressive pictorial content, of these two paintings, we have used a number of terms to describe the material elements which seemed inseparable from our experience…Towering over all these elements was the way they were put together, the composition, how part related to part and to the whole: composition not as an arbitrary scheme of organization but as a dominant contributor to the expressive content of the painting….Each painting must be regarded as a new experience, and the analysis of its particular formal aspect simply as a means of characterizing its full expressive content. --Joshua C. Taylor, “An Analysis of the Work of Art,” p. 63 This paper assignment is an analytic exercise in which you will use the language of visual analysis (also called formal analysis) to give a full, detailed, and accurate account of the expressive content of a single (1) painting of your choosing in the ArtStor Database Group titled: Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830 Writing the paper: Choose a painting that interests you and take notes about what you see, paying particular attention to how the artist has constructed the image. Using the terms, techniques and tools of looking and describing from Joshua Taylor’s “An Analysis of the Work of Art” essay write a 4-5 page paper with an introduction and conclusion which explains to the reader the way your painting generates its expressive content as defined by Taylor. Your thesis statement for this paper should identify the work’s expressive content in your opinion--the mood or psychological effect of the painting on the viewer--and list a few of the formal qualities of the painting that you will d​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​iscuss in the body of the essay to support your thesis about the painting’s expressive content. Put this thesis statement in a paragraph on the first page of your essay. Your expressive content thesis should be a few words or a phrase that describes the mood or psychological effect of the painting on the viewer as in Taylor’s analysis of the crucifixion paintings. In the body of your paper, you should not simply describe the way the work of art looks but explain to the reader what the effect is of particular formal aspects of the painting on the viewer to support your thesis. Follow Joshua Taylor’s approach in this assignment and his close attention to a painting’s formal elements to structure your paper. Write the artist, title, date, medium and dimensions in the title of your paper. Titles of works of art are underlined or italicized like titles of books. **You are not attempting to give an historical account of the painting—no research is required, but some of these paintings we will study later in our class. Focus only on the formal aspects of the work of art and do not speculate about historical reasons behind the artist’s choices—follow Taylor’s approach in his essay “An Analysis of the Work of Art.” He doesn’t give any historical context for the artists or paintings discussed, but purely analyzes the effects of their formal attributes. Specifications: Citations: If you are quoting from Taylor’s essay in your paper, then use a footnote or endnote to cite this course in Chicago Style. See the info below (from the syllabus): Bibliography and citation requirements PAINTING: Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830 ( this is the painting that I ch​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​oose to talk about ) Thank you so much.